Sunday, February 26, 2012

Swedish Meatballs over Egg Noodles

I don't think I've ever had "authentic" Swedish meatballs. Sadly, the only version I've had is from a Lean Cuisine. Don't judge...I lived alone at one point. My roommate on the other hand, studied in Denmark and had plenty experience with this dish. It was a pleasant surprise when she said SHE even enjoyed this recipe. I formed the recipe by combining a number of versions I've found over the last few months. What are Swedish Meatballs, you ask? They are meatballs formed from ground beef, pork or veal. They are often browned in a skillet, but I decided to bake mine. They are then smothered in a light-brown creamy gravy-type sauce. They can be served as appetizers with toothpicks or over egg noodles as a meal. This is a great comfort meal to get you through the last of the winter. They also make lots of leftovers unless you are feeding an army!

First, finely chop 1 white onion and mince your 3 cloves of garlic. In a medium saucepan saute the onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper saute a few minutes until the onions are clear and soft, but not brown and scorched. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine the 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground pork, 2 eggs, half of the onion/garlic mixture, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp allspice, salt and pepper. Use your hands to combine the mixture. If the mixture is too sticky to make meatballs just add some more breadcrumbs.

Form the meat mixture into large meatballs and place on a greased baking sheet. Just spray with cooking spray so they don't stick. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the meatballs are baking make the sauce. You could also start your water for the noodles at this time. In a large saucepan (I just used a cast iron) place the other half of the onion and garlic mixture. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the 1/4 cup butter (4 Tbsp). Melt the butter being careful not to burn it. Slowly add the 1/2 cup flour to the butter working with about 2 Tbsp at a time. Whisk the flour into the butter constantly until it is all combined. It will form a thick paste.

Now add the 2 cups of beef broth slowly to the pan, whisking with each addition. Slowly stir in the 1 can of evaporated milk and whisk. Season with 2 tsp allspice, 2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp white pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes until the thickens. Turn the back down to low until the meatballs are done in the oven. This is a good time to taste the sauce and see if it needs more seasoning. I wasn't shy on the spices and added a bit more...

Once the meatballs are done, plop them into your sauce and coat them. I made about 24 meatballs but was only feeding 3 people so added about 10 in the saucepan. I saved the other meatballs for leftovers.

Boil your egg noodles according the package directions and strain. Serve each person with a bowl of noodles and 3-4 meatballs with sauce. To add a little color to the otherwise boring looking dish, add a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley!

1 comment:

Made this sauce tonight and it turned out great!! Simple/quick to make but tasted like it took a lot of effort. I was in a hurry so I used frozen turkey meatballs but next time will have to put in the extra effort. As a not so great cook these instructions and pictures really helped :) Thank You